


April Showers

by Pale Rider (Boothros)



Series: Changing Seasons [4]
Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 09:44:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8281412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boothros/pseuds/Pale%20Rider
Summary: "Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go;it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow."-  Alice M. Swaim





	

April Showers

 

“Oh wow, you’re back!”

“Top marks for observation, Sergeant, now if you’ll just let me get in the door and unwrap yourself from about me person, I can take a damn good look at you, bonny lad!” replied Lewis joyfully.

“Oh, sorry! I just wasn’t expecting you this early, why didn’t you phone?”

“Thought you might have been abed to be honest, pet and if you weren’t you should have been. Didn’t you have band practice on top of putting in a full day yesterday?”

“Practise was cancelled as it happens, electrics blew in the church again, but I _do_ admit to still pacing the floors at two this morning.”

“Why, man couldn’t you sleep?”

“Sleeping’s not quite so pleasurable without you, bed being too big and all that …”

“Ah ye’ soft lad! Must admit I was more than ready to come home. Said me goodbyes last night and got on the road early. I’m getting too old to face the M40 when there’s other traffic playing about on it.”

“Now who’s being a ‘soft lad’, _Sir_? Right come on, in with you, I’ll brew the tea and you can tell me everything. How’s Lyn?”

“Frustrated. Bairn can’t come quick enough in her opinion. Tim’s _really_ getting it in the neck. Poor sod can’t seem to do anything right.”

“You could have stayed longer if you’d wanted to. Work would have worn it and I could have just about coped, emphasis on the ‘just’, please note.”

“Nah, I was still a guest at the end of the day and I think the last thing our Lyn needs right now is guests. I’ll go up again when the new arrival shows his face, that’ll be soon enough.”

“Well if she didn’t appreciate your company enough then I certainly do! Come here so that I can kiss you until we both can’t breathe.”

Blissfully happy to be home with his sergeant, Robbie Lewis willingly complied.

oOo

“Lyn! By God, what are you doing here, lass?”

“Sorry Da, Mrs Innocent let me in.”

“No, I didn’t mean the _office_ , love, I meant Oxford! I’m due up to see you in two days after all!”

Lyn giggled.

“Ah I’ve heard it all before, father! Thought I’d just make sure that work wouldn’t come in the way for once and collect you meself!”

“Ah ye’ daft lass, of course I was coming! Now how’s that beautiful boy of yours?”

“Demanding, Dad. It won’t hurt Tim any to find out just how demanding and in the meantime I’m planning to let me hair down for the first time in twelve months.”

“Well it’s grand to see you, love now come here and give your old dad a hug.”

“Ah, Dad it’s great to see you! How soon can you get out of this joint and show a young girl a good time?”

“Ahem!”

Lewis and daughter started at the exclamation from behind the computer terminal.

“Oh Christ, sorry, Lyn, this is my other half … I mean my trusty sidekick, Detective Sergeant James Hathaway.”

Hathaway rose and greeted Lewis’ daughter with exquisite politeness.

“Begging your pardon, Sir, but now might be a prudent time to remind you of your supper meeting?”

“Oh God, damn and blast it! I’m sorry, Lyn but I’ve got this bloody meeting at six. I’ve put it off three times already through sheer bloody mindedness …”

“Sir I’m sure now that Chief Superintendent Innocent knows that Lyn has arrived unexpectedly, she won’t let the meeting drag on unnecessarily. In the meantime, I’m more than happy to accompany your beautiful daughter should you be happy for me to do so? I can take her back to yours to freshen up, I have that key you gave me after all …”

Catching on immediately, Robbie Lewis blessed James for the thousandth time.

“How about it, Lyn? James can take you to mine and I’ll join you both when I’m through with the Great and the Good?”

“As long as I get music, boogying and booze, I don’t care who takes me!” replied Lyn with relief.

“I think I could manage some of that. Message me when you’re through with your meeting, Sir and we can all meet up.”

As Hathaway took Lyn’s hand as if to lead her into a medieval court dance, Lewis smiled. Not only would his Lyn be treated like spun glass in James’ hands, it would give her a good opportunity to acquaint herself with the man he loved.

Gentleman that he was, James Hathaway chose to turn a very blind eye to Lyn Lewis’ behaviour. As the new mother hadn’t had an alcoholic beverage in nearly a year and was probably plagued by hormones that he couldn’t hope to understand, he excused her attempts to drape herself all over him. Worried that Lewis could blame him for her inebriated condition, Hathaway swiftly elected soft drinks for himself and tried to encourage Lyn to slow down her own drinking. When she attempted to put her tongue down his throat, he realised he needed back up urgently and texted his Inspector.

oOo

Lewis quietly let himself in, trying to avoid waking the sleepers. The meeting he had so long avoided had gone so cordially well they had eventually broken out the brandy. Innocent had left the Chief Commissioner in no doubt that James Hathaway should step into Lewis’ shoes when his examination results came though. When Lewis spotted Hathaway huddled in sweats with his knees drawn to his chest, slight fear rose in him.

“James I’m sorry I’m so late! How’s Lyn?”

“Sleeping peacefully, Robbie. I take it you haven’t told her about us?”

“No of course I haven’t, I thought we were going to do that together?”

“Well I hope I haven’t ballsed that all up as she was all over me like a rash!”

“What our Lyn?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, Robbie, but she completely threw herself at me and I messaged you begging for help!”

“Ah, my phone was switched off for the meeting, but what the hell do you mean, ‘threw herself at you?’ You must have read the signals wrong, lad our Lyn’s got a good man and a young baby waiting for her back home, there’s no way she would have thrown herself at anyone!”

“Are you saying you disbelieve me?”

“No, I’m saying you must be mistaken, James. I know our Lyn’s a pretty lass and I can see why you might be tempted, but…”

“There’s a bowl next to Lyn’s bed. She insisted on Newcastle Brown, cocktails and then a kebab so she might well need it when she wakes. I’m going home.”

“Eh? Hang about, lad there’s no need to go surely and should you even be driving if you’ve had a night on the ale?”

“I had a pint of bitter at half past six last night. I think I can be just about be trusted to transport myself home.”

“Wait, you’re angry, you shouldn’t go like this …”

“Damn right I’m angry, so I’m going before you say something else that we’ll both regret.”

“James, don’t go, man, surely this is all some kind of misunderstanding …”

“No, I understand perfectly. Goodnight, Sir.” Hathaway replied icily.

oOo

As dawn broke, Hathaway roused from a threadbare sleep. Everything felt wrong. His beloved Heal’s mattress felt sloppy and unsupportive after the restrictive confines of Robbie’s orthopaedic bed. His long limbs felt too empty without a warm body to wrap themselves around. After years of sleeping alone, four short months of shared nights made his current solitary state feel unbearable. Unable to find comfort whichever way he lay, he rose and padded through to his small kitchen. Though the whole flat was pin neat, it felt cold and unlived in. All the warmth in his life seemed to have been left behind Robbie’s door.

At eight o’clock, Lewis graced the office also looking as if sleep had largely eluded him.

“James I …”

“How’s your daughter, Sir?”

“Dead to the world. She’ll probably sleep most of the day away. Look, James I’m sorry. I had no right to question you and even less reason to doubt you. Our Lyn’s always had a liking for a pint and she was out for a good time last night, anyone could see that. I’ll be having words with the little madam, don’t you worry about that, you’re due an apology from her as well.”

“Whatever you think’s best, Sir.” replied Hathaway loftily.

“I’ll get the coffees, shall I?”

“As I said, whatever you think.”

The pair worked in near silence for over an hour. Finally, Lewis could bear the strained atmosphere no longer.

“Look, lad did you have any breakfast this morning?”

“No, Sir. Did you?”

“No, I ha’ no stomach for it to tell you the truth. Our Lyn wasn’t the only one who had a bit too much last night. I let it impair my judgement and I shouldn’t have done. Come on, I’ll buy you an early lunch if you’ll let me. James? Come on, lad, let me say sorry, please?”

Hathaway glanced up almost shyly before giving an almost imperceptible nod and reaching for his jacket. Lewis made for the door, changed his mind, about turned and heeled it shut.

“Just one thing, Sergeant,”

“Yes, Sir?”

“I really missed my early morning kiss today.”

Hathaway’s eyes softened.

“As did I, Sir.”

“Come here then, lad, let’s put that to rights shall we?”

The pair fell into each other’s arms and started to make up their differences. It was sweet and familiar and a balm to Hathaway’s bruised heart. Had they stopped when they needed to breathe, they might just have gotten away with it. Just for good measure however and completely forgetting where he was, Lewis dived in for a final nuzzle of Hathaway’s lips – just as Lyn Lewis flung open his door.

“Da’? Dad! What the … Oh my God! What the bloody hell do you think you’re both doing? Oh God, get away from him you dirty bastard he’s my _father_!”

Two heads snapped towards her in shock.

“Well what the hell have you got to say for yourselves? No don’t bother, God I can’t believe this, you’re my dad for God’s sake, and you’re, you’re … with him!”

Hathaway’s hand went instinctively to Lewis’ elbow.

“Get your filthy hands off him!” Lyn screamed and Lewis roughly brushed Hathaway’s hand away.

“Lyn, love!” Lewis cried when he finally found his voice but she was already fleeing.

“Wait, Robbie, we all need to talk …”

“Not now, James!” Lewis chided before taking off after his errant daughter.

Finally catching up with her, he dragged her into the nearest space which happened to be Interview Room 4.

“How could you do it, Da? How could you do that to Mum’s memory, with him, with a … with another man, Christ, come to think of it, he’s not much more than a lad! Dad have you really got no shame? Couldn’t you have find a nice woman, someone your own age perhaps, did that never occur to you? I mean is he some kind of pervert or something? Or p’raps he’s after whatever he can get? Ah yeah that’s it, it’s not what you know but who you blow isn’t that what they say?”

The horror of what she’d just said hit Lyn’s conscious like an arrow and she broke down in messy gasping tears.

“Lyn, my darling lass. We were going to tell you, when we thought the time was right, love.”

“No! Don’t say it, the time would never have been right Dad, don’t you see that?”

“Well I’m sorry you feel that way, Lyn, but the truth is, I love him. He’s given me my life back, given me a reason to get up in the mornings …”

“No Da’ that’s what families are for! What does it say about me and Mark and Tim and Jack that you need to go to another man to find a reason to live?”

“Ah, lass Marks’s finding his own way and you’ve got your own little family now. I don’t love any of you the less because I love James, it’s just different that’s all. He makes me happy and I _thought_ you’d be happy for us.”

“Well I hope he makes you happy enough, _Dad_ because all the time that you’re with him doing … doing whatever filthy things you do, you’re no father of mine and no grandda’ to my Jack!”

Hathaway didn’t even notice Jean Innocent as she entered the office.

“Hello, James, everything alright, you look a million miles away, where’s Lewis?”

Hathaway looked up as if suddenly realising she was there.

“He’s spending some quality time with his daughter Ma’am.”

“Ah and you weren’t invited along?”

“I’ve already made the acquaintance, Ma’am and it would appear that in the lovely Lyn’s eyes I’m somewhat lacking.”

“She knows about you two?”

“Yes, Ma’am though the revelation wasn’t intentional.”

“Oh, James, that sounds messy. Look you know my opinion on your personal life affecting your job, but you _do_ look pretty dreadful. Would you not be better off taking the rest of the day for yourself?”

“I don’t feel my best if I’m honest Ma’am and I could do with getting something down me. Forty fags and six pints should just about do it …” he muttered quietly as he left the office.

“Mum must be turning in her grave, Dad …”

“Your mam would never have tried to deny me happiness like you’re doing, lass and we brought both you kids up to live without prejudice. James Hathaway is the kindest sweetest man I’ve ever known and from what I hear he was good enough for you to cosy up to last night!  There’s no side to him whatsoever and he’d never blackmail anyone in the way you just tried to do. I know you might be shocked, girl but denying me of my own grandchild, that’s just nasty.”

“Well it still stands, Dad. If you want to see me or Jack again, you’ll stop this madness. Don’t even think about coming near Manchester until you have. And you can warn your _sergeant_ that I’ll make him wish he’d never laid eyes on you!”

With that she rushed from the room and out of her father’s life.

oOo

Lewis sat sad and stunned, unnoticed tears rolling down his face. Sudden realisation struck him. He had to find his James.

He almost ran into Jean Innocent as he rushed from the interview room.

“Robbie! James has left he’s …”

“It’s okay Ma’am, I know where he’ll be.”

Recent rain gave the light over the Isis an eerie quality. The watercolour artists would had loved it but the only watcher of the ancient river was a lone man sat on a picnic table in one of Robbie Lewis’ favourite places on earth.

Armed with pints, Lewis looked at the back of the man he cherished. He had lost Val. He’d more than likely lost Mark and now it seemed he had lost Lyn and Jack but he’d be darned if he’d lose Hathaway. He had a lot of making up to do, but he’d apologise for the rest of his life if need be. James was too important to lose, too special to hurt and by God how Lewis loved the lad. He squared his shoulders, took the air and put the first foot forwards towards his future.

~~~oOo~~~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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